Abraham Lincoln - American Memory

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rebellion. You hear it in the rebel camp in Virginia in 1863, declared
by Booth, then and there present, and assented to by rebel officers,
that "Abraham Lincoln must be killed." You hear it in that
slaughter-pen in Georgia, Andersonville, proclaimed among rebel
officers, who, by the slow torture of starvation, inflicted cruel and
untimely death on ten thousand of your defenders, captives in their
hands—whispering, like demons, their horrid purpose, "Abraham
Lincoln must be killed." And in Canada, the accredited agents of
Jefferson Davis, as early as October, 1864, and afterwards, declared
that " Abraham Lincoln must be killed" if his re-election could not
be prevented. These agents in Canada, on the 13th of October,
1864, delivered, in cipher, to be transmitted to Richmond by Richard
Montgomery, the witness, whose reputation is unchallenged, the fol-
lowing communication :
"OCTOBER 13, 1864.
"We again urge the immense necessity of our gaining immediate
advantages. Strain every nerve for victory. We now look upon
the re-election of Lincoln in November as almost certain, and we
need to whip his hirelings to prevent it. Besides, with Lincoln re-
elected, and his armies victorious, we need not hope even for recog-
nition, much less the help mentioned in our last. Holcomb will ex-
plain this. Those figures of the Yankee armies are correct to a
unit. Our friends shall be immediately set to work as you direct."
To which an official reply, in cipher, was delivered to Mont-
gomery by an agent of the state department in Richmond, dated
October 19, 1864, as follows :
" Your letter of the 13th instant is at hand. There is yet time
enough to colonize many voters before November. A blow will shortly
be stricken here. It is not quite time. General Longstreet is to
attack Sheridan without delay, and then move north as far as practi-
cable toward unprotected points. This will be made instead of
movement before mentioned. He will endeavor to assist the repub-
licans in collecting their ballots. Be watchful and assist him."
On the very day of the date of this Richmond despatch Sheridan
was attacked, with what success history will declare. The court
will not fail to notice that the re-election of Mr. Lincoln is to be pre-
vented if possible, by any and every means. Nor will they fail
to notice that Holcomb is to "explain this"—the same person
who, in Canada, was the friend and advisor of Alston, who pro-